dreamtime

When I learned how to drive in the USA many years ago it was through a drivers education program when I was 16. We got in the car and learned how to drive as well as reading driving regulations and written tests. Does anything like this exist in Thailand? I think most Thai's pay a few hundred THB and get a drivers license. No wonder no one knows how to drive. And why should they know how to properly drive? There are no cops anywhere to ticket anyone except at some big intersection or to give speeding tickets on main highways. The entire populace drives anywhere and any way they want. Its like a video game driving around in Thailand. Motorbikes are coming from every direction where there is space to drive in.

S

I've noticed that people wearing the tin foil hats are able to think clearer than those without them. Must be something with the tin in the foil

If a regulatory agency comes out with a "greatest anything list", you can be sure it's exactly the opposite of what they state. Once you put the tin foil hat on you're able to see the truth from the BS.

S

PS - What brought all the anti-flouride folks out from under the rocks in this thread??? Maybe they're using their tin foil hats to filter their drinking water???

On that point, here's the home page of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on the subject of flouridation, which calls water flouridation "one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century."

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2003 Jan-Mar;4(1):31-8.

One of those multi-stage under the sink units with UV radiation is a good way to go. After that if you want not just purified water but hyper-charged water then Ozone the water with an ozone machine for 10 minutes and that will kick you in the pants. But, that is a whole other discussion

I have a two stage large building water filter and after that I put it through the under the sink unit for my drinking water. If I'm missing any water filters I go buy bottled water.

S

Seriously we used to use tap water for washing and cooking. This was in Chonburi province.

The tap water was passed though a triple filter, carbon/resin/ceramic to produce our drinking water.

In the UK water is treated with Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.

That will not be true of any water source in Thailand.

Consider using a toothpaste with extra fluoride.

If you are only using filters and no UV irradiation, then you are not killing harmful bacteria/microbes in the water. I would strongly suggest investing around 8-10K in a reverse osmosis with UV irradiation, pick them up at any central store.

Hello,

The fluoride that's added to products are an industrial toxic poison. You would have to be out of your mind to ingest any product where fluoride was added. Here are some links for people who are unaware fluoride is a poison and will harm you when you ingest a product that has added fluoride.

http://www.lovethetruth.com/truth_about_fluoride.htm

http://www.fluoridation.com/

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/fluoride.htm

http://www.squidoo.com/fluoride-poisoning

http://www.fluoridealert.org/toothpaste.html - Poison warning on toothpaste? You think that's good for you?

You can search in any main search engine for many sites detailing out the dangers of fluoride poisoning. A good search engine is www.startpage.com.

S

Seriously we used to use tap water for washing and cooking. This was in Chonburi province.

The tap water was passed though a triple filter, carbon/resin/ceramic to produce our drinking water.

In the UK water is treated with Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.

That will not be true of any water source in Thailand.

Consider using a toothpaste with extra fluoride.

I can't imagine how you could send a child into this "educational" system. The curriculum is useless, the teachers are useless, the material is mostly useless. What's the point? There has to be a better way.

Most of the police are nothing more than traffic/ticketing cops. The rest of them won't do anything on their own unless they are ordered to do something. The gov. is about an inept as you can get. How else can you explain allowing thousands of people into your capital and letting them to setup shop completely untouched. Its beyond ridiculous.

I'm so disappointed watching this video clip. I was born and raised in Khon Kaen. I watched local news yesterday, police and soldiers were just walking around. They didn't do anything to stop those silly red shirts!

The last couple of pages of this thread tells the story:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Pound-Starti...64#entry3379764

If you've got money in Pounds it's probably a very good time to sell it and buy US Dollars, that's what everyone else in the world is doing.

That's just the propaganda. The USD is worse off than the Pound. The Euro just as bad. They are heading towards their intrinsic value.

Does anyone know what the numbers are? I'm wondering how many foreignors are actually working in Thailand and paying the work visa fee per year compared to the foreignors who are working in thailand illegally and not paying this yearly work visa fee.

S

I think for those in nice expat jobs, working for a big company, this means squat. For those in poorer paid professions, such as teaching, it could be a problem.

Regardless, it is a cynical tax raising opportunity by a government whose finances are under strain.

yes, typical government behaviour (everywhere). First they figure out expenses and set taxes accordingly. Never the other way around.

All Governments are corrupt to a certain extent. It actuality the lobbying of politicians in the USA is corruption, it has just ingrained itself into the system. I suspect the Thai government is no different. You cannot have a non-corrupt government. Obama has standing orders not to hire any past lobbyist for government work and it is not working --they are the only people who are experienced enough to get anything done. There several hundred positions he cannot fill.

-- Obama has been hiring nothing but lobbyists. In fact, his administration hires lobbyists from the same industry for heading up a dept. that is supposed to oversee that same industry! Its completely ridiculous. Like hiring a Monsanto lobbyist to head up the Gov dept that is trying to regulate your food and seeds or a Goldman Sachs exec who is now in charge of ripping off taxpayer loot. It goes on and on.

S

Now that's interesting. Buddhism is supposed to teach or embrace non-attachment to things. Well, the Thai's are pretty well attached and only seem to think about nothing but money. How does that make any sense at all?

S

If you don't mind turning a Buddhist culture from a non-materialistic culture to one of not only thinking of money, but one that justifies charging double because of your race, maybe you are the one missing the point of what Thailand really is and leave, so as not to further pollute it with such thinking.

Overpaying not only sends the wrong message but creates a cultural snowball effect of more greed, corruption and crime.

It sounds good. But you are assuming that "Thailand" will actually do some "thinking" that would make sense to the rest of the world. That is very doubtful.

S

I really don't think the tourism decrease can be attributed to the polical unrest and swine flu. Maybe to a small degree, but not to an all time low. I think this government needs to look at several items.

The exchange rate for the baht is horrible

The prices for lodging and services is becoming outrageous. $100 a night for hotels in Thailand. Please

Thai Air is probably one of the highest priced airlines going in th world right now.

== That's because the Thai's believe in the economic theory of "lower demand means increase pricing".

they think

ANd then there is the problem of gaining a visa, dual entry, just not conducive to the tourist.

As a farang married to a Thai lady, the fact that they are making it harder for us to buy property or transferring money just to support our wives and children has alot to do with why go to Thailand? They have made a very unappealing place to come to.

The Thai governement needs to wake up and smell the coffee, there are places such as Vietname to visit that are just as nice and far less expensive same with the Philippines. Thailand is pricing and governing themselves out of the tourism market.

== Not to mention Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia.

S

I hope someone from the government is listening.

Hello,

For Seborrhoeic dermatitis, ringworm, fungal and bacterial skin ailments you can try ozone oil if you don't want to take toxic drugs. There is a 100 year history of ozone remedies in Germany and 30-40 year medical usage in other countries. You can read about ozone oil on the internet. Here are some links.

If you want to purchase a jar of ozonated olive oil you can have it shipped in from a manufacturer in USA, Europe or locally in Thailand.

Stephen

The solution is not to go to Thailand until they enact friendlier laws to Farang and foreign investment. They will sooner than later. Because right now Thailand has been slammed with unemployment and the loss of billions because of gov ineptness in handling situations. When the rich elite start panicking, as they will, they will start enacting laws that start to resemble some logical sanity.

For now, try South America or a number of other countries in Asia.

But you dont get it - even this will not force them to change -

have you ever seen or heard a Thai say " look I admit I was wrong " ?

You can't force them to change. So why bother. It will only drive you crazy.

A Thai would not normally admit he was wrong as he would lose face. That's a no no in their culture. Thai culture and farang culture is like oil and water. No matter how hard you try they do not mix.

This is Thailand. TIT.

we should make a massive petition calling for the immigration l;aws to stop constantly changing and also from being different in each embassy/consulat

Democratic? Thailand? This is funny!

This is undemocratic and one day will have to be changed.

We can make a change here there are enough farang in thailand to make a difference on this issue if we apply some friendly pressure.

its just a matter of when we are going to stand up and be counted. Now? or in 20 years, when our children do it for us.???

I prefer right now and would be first in line with a placard to put my money where my mouth is.

The solution is not to go to Thailand until they enact friendlier laws to Farang and foreign investment. They will sooner than later. Because right now Thailand has been slammed with unemployment and the loss of billions because of gov ineptness in handling situations. When the rich elite start panicking, as they will, they will start enacting laws that start to resemble some logical sanity.

For now, try South America or a number of other countries in Asia.

I fully concur. Perhaps when viable options (for foreieners in Thailand) are no longer pleasing, a more drastic and permanent decision will occur. including a change of location.

Depending on what you are looking for, Laos is a great place. They have much easier visa rules and its nirvana if you like peace and quiet. But its much less developed than Thailand and no beaches or islands.

Malaysia is much more progressive and easier to move to and work in than Thailand. They have amazing rules when you move a business there like 10 year tax free status, long term visas for you and your foreign workers, and much more. They are much more open and way ahead of Thailand in the "come to our country and live" dept. Kuala Lumpur is really nice and there are many nice parts of Malaysia to check out.

Thailand is not the only game in town.

We have today received confirmation from the Thai Consulate in Penang that they will now require the company to show 8 million baht in registered capitalization as well as a valid work permit to obtain a one year multiple entry NON-IMM B (business) visa.

They have indicated that these are the MINIMUM requirements for the visa and they can still deny applications at their discretion (as always).

We are currently checking with the Embassy in KL to see if similar restrictions have been applied.

This is absurd. If I didn't know and love so many good Thai people I would want to say 'f*** them, let their economy crash and burn". About a year ago I started a thread here about my problems getting a non-B visa in Penang and was accused of being a F-up because I (incorrectly) blamed the agent. Using the same papers and application in the USA I had my visa in ten minutes. My screen name is DivinGuy but I am a SW engineer and did nothing but shut down my business in the US and restart it here at half-price to my clients. I had two million baht paid up capital. I do nothing but bring money to Thailand. I take no jobs away from anyone because my work is based on expertise in a few specific areas and connections in the US.

I am watching my friends suffer because exports are dropping and tourism (a MUCH smaller slice of the pie) is dropping, too. <deleted> are these idiots thinking? Are they that unaware of the problems Thailand is facing? Thailand didn't make these problems but still has to deal with them. Over the next couple of years the country will need all the income it can get. People like me do nothing but supply a small cash infusion

Eight million baht? So what does someone like me, but who doesn't want to go back to their home country, do? Create a fantasy that their expertise is worth six million baht?

I have never been part of the "They hate us, let's go home" camp, but this, finally, is pushing me that way. I stayed quiet about the 90/180 rule, I stayed quiet about the 15 days at a land border rule, but this is ridiculous. To all you lovers of the Thai Immigration Dept., please tell me how this will benefit the country or people.

(Mods I am sorry. If this post is too inflammatory then please delete it, but don't ban me. I am a long time member with few posts.)

If you've been here a few years you should know by now that not much makes any sense here to a Farang. Thai gov. thinking has no relevance, similarity or anything in common to a logical western thought process. They are in their own reality and you really have to be Thai to understand it.

With that said they are sure killing themselves by their own hand. But in their thinking they probably want to scare farang away and its working. Thailand is for Thai's. Right? After this year which will be a very bad tourist season for them I'm sure they will be doing another about face next year when they decide they want farang back again.

Why invest in a place like Thailand anyway? Mickey Mouse rules and regulations and no one willing to listen, there is always Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia or Vietnam. As the national anthem says Thailand for Thais, and that is just they way the want it, Thailand exclusively for Thais! Not that there is anything really wrong in that, but you shouldn't expect people to part with hard earnt money in such a jingoistically nationlist environment.

You forgot Laos. That's the missing gem. Just a gorgeous place and quiet as can be if you like that kind of thing. Although, development in that country is decades behind Thailand. But get in early and enjoy the ride. It can only go up.

I've been to Laos several times; always relaxing and quiet.

But in Vientiane, I could still hear a cacophony of useless noise -- coming all the way across the river from Thailand !!!

Frankly, Laos seems more appealing place to live than Thailand, certainly a lot of entrepreneurial opportunity... but I don't know much about their laws, and the communism thing scares me a bit.

Technically, it's the "democratic republic of Laos" now. Although, I'm sure its all the old communist generals running things but I really don't know the details. I heard its much easier to get a visa for a foreignor that wants to live there year round without much problem at all. In fact, it might be real easy to get a residency or Laos passport and use that to go into Thailand when you need to

I think that Laos is a fantastic place and if there are old communists running things I don't think they are making problems for the farang as Thailand has been doing for years.

Why invest in a place like Thailand anyway? Mickey Mouse rules and regulations and no one willing to listen, there is always Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia or Vietnam. As the national anthem says Thailand for Thais, and that is just they way the want it, Thailand exclusively for Thais! Not that there is anything really wrong in that, but you shouldn't expect people to part with hard earnt money in such a jingoistically nationlist environment.

You forgot Laos. That's the missing gem. Just a gorgeous place and quiet as can be if you like that kind of thing. Although, development in that country is decades behind Thailand. But get in early and enjoy the ride. It can only go up.

They are talking about relaxing rules while everyone else waits until they invest in mega projects to jump start the economy. However this government is incapable of doing that, and domestic investment has been shrinking. So now they turn to foreigners, they haven't screwed them up for a while, there must be plenty of new greenhorns there.

And Thaigene, look who's made the announcement - our good old Chaya who demanded that his previous Health Care Minister post be handed to his brother, that's as close to old family establishement as it gets.

Yeah, that's the guy who is all for openness and fairness.

You are only kidding yourself.

What's hilarious is these people have no idea how ridiculous they look to farang. But do they even care? I doubt it. They just sit back and collect their siphoned money, which is the only way they can earn it since they are so incompetent - they couldn't hold a job at Mcdonalds, and buy $50k BMW's for $250k at Siam Paragon. What a wacked out place

Well 51% for not providing much is a pretty big whack. That's why a lot of companies don't invest here.

If you buy a BMW in eastern europe it costs you 30% more than if you buy in Germany. Fine. If you buy the same BMW in Thailand it costs you a multiple. Not just double. But triple and quadruple. The people making these laws must be smoking something or on too many prescription drugs. Talk about protectionism. What do they think, a Thai is going to make a car better than BMW? Or maybe in their wacked out way of looking at things they consider it another covert payoff from rich people in Thailand.

Oh I forgot, we shouldn't talk about any of these issues, someone might lose face. OK. Forget about all I said, hold on one moment, ok, all good now, I have my happy smiley face on and everything is alright

They are talking about relaxing rules while everyone else waits until they invest in mega projects to jump start the economy. However this government is incapable of doing that, and domestic investment has been shrinking. So now they turn to foreigners, they haven't screwed them up for a while, there must be plenty of new greenhorns there.

And Thaigene, look who's made the announcement - our good old Chaya who demanded that his previous Health Care Minister post be handed to his brother, that's as close to old family establishement as it gets.

Yeah, that's the guy who is all for openness and fairness.

You are only kidding yourself.

What's hilarious is these people have no idea how ridiculous they look to farang. But do they even care? I doubt it. They just sit back and collect their siphoned money, which is the only way they can earn it since they are so incompetent - they couldn't hold a job at Mcdonalds, and buy $50k BMW's for $250k at Siam Paragon. What a wacked out place

As long as there is corruption, nothing is safe in Thailand and any other country wishing for solid legitimacy. I would never trust my life savings given on a whim of a bribed official, police or overthrown government guarantees instability. No one will ever trust a country where the only guarantee is the buck stops nowhere...it keeps on going and influences whoever it wants.

How can anyone trust a non democratic country? Overthrown governments and revised constitutions are the only constant in a country that claims it is free (nice ad campaign but that's about it). The culture thinks it's conservative where its capital is renowned to all of the world for sleeze and an astounding HIV problem going unchecked...Thailand is a guarantee for double standards and guaranteed poverty from what I've seen. Only the corrupt are becoming/are already wealthy...the rest have to pay off the corrupt.

Come on...the word police in Thailand is equal to legal mafia. You're even allowed to murder in Thailand if you have the right connections (and are a Thai citizen). It's sad but luckily a few are able to escape.

This is a scary point. In Western countries most people are afraid of committing murder because there is an inner feeling that it is not a correct thing to do or they might get caught and that stops many people from doing it. In Thailand, beneath the smiles and laid back persona of people exists extremely unstable beings. Get one agitated or pissed off and all inner defense mechanisms of right and wrong go out the window. Its really ridiculous. The point being is never get in a fight with a Thai or get one pissed off at you for any reason. Its not worth the risk.

As long as there is corruption, nothing is safe in Thailand and any other country wishing for solid legitimacy. I would never trust my life savings given on a whim of a bribed official, police or overthrown government guarantees instability. No one will ever trust a country where the only guarantee is the buck stops nowhere...it keeps on going and influences whoever it wants.

How can anyone trust a non democratic country? Overthrown governments and revised constitutions are the only constant in a country that claims it is free (nice ad campaign but that's about it). The culture thinks it's conservative where its capital is renowned to all of the world for sleeze and an astounding HIV problem going unchecked...Thailand is a guarantee for double standards and guaranteed poverty from what I've seen. Only the corrupt are becoming/are already wealthy...the rest have to pay off the corrupt.

Come on...the word police in Thailand is equal to legal mafia. You're even allowed to murder in Thailand if you have the right connections (and are a Thai citizen). It's sad but luckily a few are able to escape.

Stop the corruption and you'll have stability (but that'll never happen).

Corruption is the only thing they know. Just as a western farang, on average, knows nothing about corruption and how to work it. You cannot expect them to change in this generation or even the next. Honesty, integrity? These words and concepts don't exist here.

LOL. Sorry about that. I meant a one year house rental Here is my wish list.

1. Adobe/Cob or Asian/Thai/Teak style house.

2. One year duration.

3. Surrounded by trees/gardens.

I am not looking for a standard concrete house in a development.

Thanks!

S

Hello,

How do I go about finding a one year rental in Chiang Mai? Thanks.

S